Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh's veteran all-rounder, Thursday declared he is retiring from T20I cricket, and, for the first time in public, expressed his wish to retire from Test cricket at the end of the home series against South Africa in Mirpur next month.
The 37-year-old all-rounder announced the news on Thursday, a day before his team is scheduled to play the second Test against India at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.
"This is the right time to bring in new players. It's the same vision for T20Is as well. I have spoken to the chief selector and the BCB president and we all felt that this was the right time to move on and allow new players to come up the ranks," Shakib told reporters.
Shakib would conclude his best period with the shortest format of cricket after a highly successful campaign, having scored 2,551 runs at an average strike rate of 121.18 in 129 T20I matches. With the ball, Shakib has so far taken 149 wickets.
The all-rounder revealed that though he hopes to play his last Test in front of home crowds at the iconic Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka, security concerns may prevent him from fulfilling that wish.
"I have wanted to play my last Test in Mirpur. If that is not possible, the second Test against India will be my last. Going back to Bangladesh is not an issue; however, leaving Bangladesh once I do go there is a matter of grave danger," Shakib said.
He could make his last appearance for Bangladesh in the longer format if Shakib is ruled out of the Mirpur Test next month and if the second and final game of the ongoing series against India, starting in Kanpur on Friday, will be his last.
It feels fit that I end my Test career in the face of my home fans. Bangladesh cricket has given me much, and I want to give my last in this format at home," said he.
Interestingly, Shakib's Test debut came against India in Chattogram in May 2007, and he went on to play 70 Tests for Bangladesh, scoring 4,600 runs with five centuries and 31 half-centuries, which is the third-highest run-scoring by any player in Bangladesh's Test history.
He also leads the tally for Bangladesh in Test cricket wickets with 242 scalps. To date, he remains the only bowler from his country to have taken more than 200 wickets in Tests.
Along with the confirmation of his retirement from Test cricket, Shakib also declared that he would retire from One-Day Internationals after the 2025 Champions Trophy early in the year. With an all-round cricketing experience of more than 17 years, Shakib has emerged as a corner stone in Bangladesh's international cricket development.
The Champions Trophy will be the last major global tournament for the Tigers in which his name will be included, and after that, he will definitely announce his retirement in all the formats of international cricket.
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